Once you have located an appropriate job and signed a contract, you are expected to fulfill a one-year contract. Most contracts are optioned to an extension, and some schools offer shorter contracts from 3-9 months periods.

Most schools run their curriculum and their educational program by having the foreign teachers teach only conversational English, and their counterparts, the Korean teachers concentrate on grammar, vocabulary, listening, and reading comprehension.

Korean ESL teachers and Korean pupils have a high mastery of the English vocabulary, but sorely lack conversational skills. This surprises foreign teachers, because a pupil may have a high vocabulary but will be unable to speak a single line of English. This situation is caused by the poor education system within Korea. Students are taught by rote with an undue stress on memorization. Oral and aural English skills are neglected and it is quite embarassing for both students and instructors alike when Korean students speak only pidgin English or speak nonsensically. (When a Korean speaks poor English mixed in with Korean words, that is called Kong-glish.)

Sometimes, it can be a nightmare trying to persuade students to actually speak proper English. Many are under the mistaken impression that they can benefit from a conversation class by simply listening to the instructor speak. At times like this, an instructor will need to be more than a simple speaker. At many times, the instructor will need to be a clown, a comedian, an entertainer, a friend, a psychologist, and, if need be, a tyrant. Teaching conversational English to a Korean is not quite so easy. The better schools limit their class sizes to fourteen students or less, but do not be surprised to see twice or even three times this number. There are many teaching texts and aids in use and it will look impressive on your resume, or curriculum vitae, if you can say that you have experience using a few of them.

A hint for teachers: giving students "American nicknames" can be very useful if you are not familiar with Korean first names or cannot pronunciate them properly. Using nicknames are very useful because it is confusing when a class is comprised of three Mr. Lee's and six Ms. Kim's, which can be a very common situation since the range of Korean surnames is limited.

When interacting with beginner students, the instructor may be the very first foreigner that the students have ever spoken to or met face-to-face. Chances are good that they will want to know all about you personally and even go out with you after class. Koreans are naturally a curious lot.

Advanced students are harder to please with simple conversational lessons, especially if they have had prior teaching experiences with other instructors. In this situation, the foreign teacher will have to work harder and introduce fresh and different materials. Generally, students are very well behaved and they may shower you with little gifts ranging from flowers to trinkets to musical CDs. Be courteous and be tactful. The foreign teacher is there to teach English to students, not to accept gifts.

A good foreign teacher acts professionally. Remember to be well prepared for your classes. Have appropriate lessons to teach while considering the tight schedule you are working with. You should show up to classes at least 15-30 minutes early. Korea is a congested country; always consider the commuting time. And do leave yourself enough time to prepare before each class and freshen up.

Many foreign English teachers will find that they some spare time and want to supplement their incomes. "Moonlighting" or working a side job by doing private tutorials is very common amongst foreign English instructors. The money earned can be quite lucrative and many do it to meet and interact with native Koreans and make friends. However, do remember that private tutoring by foreign nationals on the side outside the scope of the schools you are employed at is illegal. And the employer schools will not appreciate you doing this, especially if it detracts you from your employee obligations. One can be fined and deported out of the country for illegal private tutoring. It is a very "gray" area. Everyone does it, but everyone more or less "looks away" at the practice.

Some schools may have dress codes. Some schools will require skirts for females and shirts and ties for males. No ripped jeans, tank-tops, and shorts. Korea is a relatively conservative society and so are the school officials. They will not appreciate a foreign teacher dressing inappropriately since teachers reflect upon the image and quality of the school. It is best to err on the conservative side when it comes to attire.

Finally, take full advantage of your teaching assignments. Do try to teach as many levels of difficulties as possible so that you become aware of the varying teaching standards. Teaching young children is definitely different from teaching high school students. And if you are able to teach young children who are the most difficult to teach, you can teach practically anyone.

And after a few years of teaching assignments, you will be well prepared to go dig into the English as a Second Language market and find the appropriate jobs you have always wanted at the terms you have always wanted.